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Pet owners urged: Plan now for storms

Local agencies say now is the time to take steps to prevent a situation like Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, when thousands of animals were left stranded.

By DEMORRIS A. LEE
Published May 25, 2006

Don't want to be separated from your pets during a hurricane?

Then plan not to be.

With next week's start of what promises to be another active hurricane season, animal welfare agencies say pet owners need to plan now for the upcoming season so no pet is left behind in a disaster.

"This is the time," said Connie Brooks, director of operations for SPCA Tampa Bay. "You have to plan now. And don't leave (pets) behind because they can't take care of themselves."

Florida has always been a step ahead when it comes to caring for pets during a hurricane, said Laura Bevan, Southeast regional director for the Humane Society of the United States. But Hurricane Katrina made pet owners realize how vulnerable they and their pets can be if they are not prepared.

During Katrina and in its aftermath, thousands of animals were left stranded. Since the waters have receded from the Gulf Coast, many pet owners have had trouble getting their pets back. The Pinellas County Humane Society took in 288 animals after Katrina and adopted some of them out, to the chagrin of residents now involved in pet custody disputes with the adoptive families.

"The issue is, the audience hasn't been listening until Katrina," said Bevan, who works out of Tallahassee. "And that was a shocker, seeing what happens when animals are left behind. It always happened, it was just the magnitude of Katrina and the sheer horror of it all."

To prevent owners from losing their pets, animal welfare advocates recommend that all pets be implanted with a microchip that will allow a pet to be electronically traced back to its owner. It's also recommended that pet owners take pictures with their animals to verify ownership and make sure that all the animals have a collar and tags.

"You have to prepare your pets just like you prepare a human," said Nancy Dively, of Tarpon Springs and an animal advocate and rescuer. "You want photos, a medical kit for your pet, immunization records"

Dively said one should have copies of all the information for themselves in case they have to turn the pet over to an emergency shelter.

"So when you go back to pick them up there is not a problem," she said.

In Pinellas County, two shelters have been designated pet friendly shelters that will house pets and their owners during a disaster.

One is the Judicial Building at 545 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg. The other is at Harbor Hall, 1190 Georgia Ave. in Palm Harbor. The facility in St. Petersburg will house 400 animals and the one in Palm Harbor 75, Brooks said.

"There is not a lot of (shelter) space, so people really need to plan today because there really isn't going to be much room," Brooks said. "But if you leave your home, you want to know exactly where your pet is."

Those coming to one of the two shelters must register and they must bring a crate for their pets.

Katrina opened a lot of eyes when it comes to how pets are handled during a storm. So much so, a bill passed the U.S. House this week that would require any agency receiving money from FEMA to have an evacuation plan to accommodate household pets and service animals in a disaster.

Though pleased with the bill's "overwhelming passage," Humane Society of the United States president Wayne Pacelle said the Senate version of the bill is much stronger because it authorizes funding to create emergency shelters for people and their animals.

Locally, Brooks said she is asking everyone to call Florida senators to voice support for the bill that has been dubbed: No Pet Left Behind.

But Pacelle warned that the bill would "not be a cure-all, but it's a piece of the puzzle."

The real work is to get pet owners to plan ahead of time, he said.

"You never want to be in a position that you don't have a plan to get you or the animal out," Pacelle said from Washington, D.C. "You want to take the animal with you and leave before the disaster strikes. You have to plan on leaving and know that you have a place that's pet friendly."

Demorris A. Lee can be reached at 445-4174 or dalee@sptimes.com

Make sure all shots are up to date and you have copies of them.

Have a photo of you and your pet.

Make sure your pet has a collar with ID tag and that the tag has a number for someone outside the disaster area along with the owners.

Microchip your pet. It can be done at Pinellas County Animal Services for $10.

Keep your animal in a crate during a storm because he could get spooked and hide. Once the storm is over, do not let the pet outside without a leash because many of the familiar smells have been washed away and it could be confusing.

Have a first-aid kit for your pet, including cotton bandage rolls, bandage tape and scissors, antibiotic ointment, flea and tick prevention, latex gloves, isopropyl alcohol and saline solution.

Have a litter box, newspaper, paper towels and two weeks worth of dog food and water.

SOURCE: www.spcaofpinellas.org www.pinellascounty.org/animalservices or call 727 582-2150.

[Last modified May 25, 2006, 00:55:15]